Chelsea loanee Clifford scored a stupendous opener, in first-half injury-time, to set up an impressive 2-0 home win over in-form Yeovil Town.

Freddie Sears made the game safe by netting his eighth goal of the season in the 63rd minute.

The U’s are still in the bottom four, but Clifford’s fantastic strike, from 25 yards out, could prove a turning point in their season.

Manager Dunne enthused: “Billy (Clifford) has got a heart the size of a lion.

“He was great on Tuesday night. His ability on the ball is for everyone to see, and his tenacity and his work-rate were excellent.

“Billy fully deserved his man of the match.”

Dunne also revealed that Clifford had done a lot of recent work on the training ground, with regards his shooting – and these extra hours certainly came off!

Dunne explained: “We had spoken to Billy. Having seen him at Chelsea, and him being us for a while a period of time now, we just felt that he sometimes takes too many touches and looks for killer passes.

“That’s the way they play at Chelsea, but we have done a lot of work with Billy on the training ground, especially keeping him back to do some shooting sessions.

“We’ve got him shooting at goal, because we believe he possesses a lethal right foot.

“I don’t think he’s ever brought enough out of himself to do it, but it was a wonderful goal,” added Dunne.